Might be cheaper to take the train....

[torinsmom]

Okay, let me first say that we took the train to Orlando a few years ago, and it wasn't that great an experience for me. I couldn't sleep in the coach seats and there were some really strange people on there with is However, with gas prices predicted to be around $5/gallon(maybe more) by the end of summer, I am wondering if we wouldn't about break even riding the train. My sister and her family are driving down three days after us, so we would only need a car for 3 days max. We would be riding with them to the parks and they could drop us by the train station when it was time to go back. We could probably actually ride back to NC with them, but I don't know if I could handle the stress(their driving scares me sometimes)

Train + 3 days car rental would be around $350. I might not sleep, but at least I wouldn't have to drive through the neverending state of GA

 

[manning]

This will help you track it.

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStationsBeta.aspx

Just put curser on map, left click and move around. Then place curser on ea. number and there's the price.

 

[torinsmom]

Neat site, but I'm looking towards August. Right now, it would be cheaper to drive. I think it would be around $190 round trip, but then there is also wear and tear on the car(and me LOL) If predictions are right, $5 gallon gas would add about $60 to that. Some are predicting $6/gallon

 

[nunzia]

I actually love taking the train...of course, it is much better in a roomette and I find lots of ways to justify that. I hate to fly, I have vision oddities that make driving long distance not a good idea, plus I'm chicken, and DH tends to doze while driving long distance..so... Train is my friend

 

[torinsmom]

I wish the roomettes didn't double the cost for us. I read that you can ask once on board and if there are rooms available, they will give you a discount, so we may try that.

We would be on the Silver Star. Does anyone know if the coach seats have electrical outlets? Being able to use laptops would help pass the time.

Marsha

 

[bunkkinsmom]

I wish the roomettes didn't double the cost for us. I read that you can ask once on board and if there are rooms available, they will give you a discount, so we may try that.

We would be on the Silver Star. Does anyone know if the coach seats have electrical outlets? Being able to use laptops would help pass the time.

Marsha

Howdy Neighbor! We take the Silver Star out of Cary to Orlando every year. Feel free to ask any questions and I will be happy to try and answer.
YES all the coach seats have 2 electrical outlets. So bring on the movies and laptops!

I will tell you about some Pixie Dust from last year. On our way home, the conductors were seating people based on what stop they were getting off. We were the only people getting off in Cary. There were 8 of us, and we had an ENTIRE CAR to ourselves! And it was the front car, so no one walking through to go to the snack car, no sharing bathrooms! It was fantastic, we were completely spread out.

IMHO, the odd people, rocking motion, and bathrooms (although this one can be a close race) I can deal with in exchange for not having to drive and being able to arrive by 11 am and not have to leave until 6pm on departure day!

 

[torinsmom]

Howdy Neighbor! We take the Silver Star out of Cary to Orlando every year. Feel free to ask any questions and I will be happy to try and answer.
YES all the coach seats have 2 electrical outlets. So bring on the movies and laptops!

I will tell you about some Pixie Dust from last year. On our way home, the conductors were seating people based on what stop they were getting off. We were the only people getting off in Cary. There were 8 of us, and we had an ENTIRE CAR to ourselves! And it was the front car, so no one walking through to go to the snack car, no sharing bathrooms! It was fantastic, we were completely spread out.

IMHO, the odd people, rocking motion, and bathrooms (although this one can be a close race) I can deal with in exchange for not having to drive and being able to arrive by 11 am and not have to leave until 6pm on departure day!

How is the area the Cary station is located in? I ask because we left from Raleigh last time and it was a pretty sketchy area. I'd love to feel comfortable leaving my car at the station vs. having someone drop us off/pick us up. Also, was it crowded? Raleigh was a big mob and my son and I almost didn't get to sit together.

If every row has outlets, we'll probably skip the roomette. We are traveling on a Tuesday night and hadn't planned to be anywhere until Thursday, so we could sleep on Wednesday if need be.

Marsha

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

here is a good site to get a good idea of what it would cost to drive based on today's gas prices.


http://www.gasbuddy.com/Trip_Calculator.aspx

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

If you are seriously thinking about traveling by train I would check today and see if there are any sleeping cars available. Last year I traveled by train for the first time. My .02 is I will never take a train again unless it is in a sleeper car which is private. I would only take coach again if it is for a short ride four hours or under. The train ride was wonderful seeing the country side from a different view. I do have to agree that there were too many different people that came and went. Another thing to remember is that going coach every one shares the same restroom and the plumbing on a train is not the best.

I just wish the gas prices would go back down. The people who really are going to suffer is the young children. Parents are not going to go on vacation this year or go some place close that it is really not a vacation. They will miss out on wonderful experiences. Most of what I remember from my childhood is going on vacation.

 

[MrsPete]

If every row has outlets, we'll probably skip the roomette.

I've done a couple train trips, and I assure you that every row does have outlets.

 

[nunzia]

I would check constantly the rates for roomettes. I had always been told that AMTRAK worked on a bucket system..rates were lowest when they first came out and then went up as seats sold. I was online a couple months ago checking on a new trip, then just thought I'd check for pricing on an already booked one. The roomette prices had dropped..so odd. So I called AMTRAK and they adjusted my trip and $250 dollars appeared as a credit on my CC. So..keep checking. Usually, on my long distance route from Alb to Fullerton, a roomette will add either $100 or $156 to my total one way cost, but this price does include meals. Since the roomette is based on the room, not how many people are staying in it, getting dining room meals makes it halfway decent. Really though, for me, even though I don't mind coach (yes you meet some odd ones but also some really interesting people) I really am happy to pay the premium for a roomette since I just love my little cubicle and the peace and quiet.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

How is the area the Cary station is located in? I ask because we left from Raleigh last time and it was a pretty sketchy area. I'd love to feel comfortable leaving my car at the station vs. having someone drop us off/pick us up. Also, was it crowded? Raleigh was a big mob and my son and I almost didn't get to sit together.

If every row has outlets, we'll probably skip the roomette. We are traveling on a Tuesday night and hadn't planned to be anywhere until Thursday, so we could sleep on Wednesday if need be.

Marsha

I have travelled out of both and prefer Cary. It's in a decent area and we haven't had an issue there, where in Raleigh we had some dings and I felt lucky we had windows when we got back!

However, Cary is an unmanned station. So no checking bags. You are allowed 2 carryon plus 1 laptop/purse per person. That ends up being more than enough for us, as my kids can pack all of their stuff in their backpacks, so we pack our "overflow" in their extra bags. Being an unmanned station, just be sure that you are following the Amtrak guidelines for carryon and that you are comfortable getting on and off with your bags.

Also, we use a service called "First Choice" to come get us at the station. Are you renting a car? Staying on-site? I don't think the Orlando station has car rental but I think that Kissimee does?

OH! And I never pay full price. You can go to visitorlando.com and print off an Orlando Magic Card. Go to your local train station with your card and get 15% off! Or use your AAA card online for 10% off. Or check EBAY for Amtrak companion vouchers. Sometimes you can get them fairly cheap. I've bought companion passes for $10 and saved $90!

 

[MrsPete]

If you are seriously thinking about traveling by train I would check today and see if there are any sleeping cars available. Last year I traveled by train for the first time. My .02 is I will never take a train again unless it is in a sleeper car which is private.

I disagree. The sleeper cars are so expensive -- more expensive, in fact, than flying. If those were my two choices, I'd fly and get there faster.

I've met some nice people on the train -- yeah, some of them are a little off-beat, but none of them were anything but pleasant. In particular, my girls helped a young single mother who was traveling to New York to meet her boyfriend. She was having trouble with her toddler and infant; she couldn't take them into the rest room with her, and they were bored just sitting -- she really appreciated the help, and we actually ended up together again on the return trip. And we talked to a really nice older Amish couple for a long time, which was fun. Of course, we also ran into some nasty drunks, but the conductors took care of that in short order; after one warning, they moved the drunks up to the conductors' cabin to sit -- they didn't seem pleased, but they had no choice.

You have to look at the train as an adventure.

 

[MrsPete]

and bathrooms

The bathrooms are nasty. Pack Clorox wipes and hand wipes.

Different topic:

Also pack your own snacks. Train food is expensive and not very good.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

The bathrooms are nasty. Pack Clorox wipes and hand wipes.

Different topic:

Also pack your own snacks. Train food is expensive and not very good.

Agree for the most part. We eat dinner on the trip back every time, as we board at 730. The dining room food has always been pretty decent. The snack car is another story!

 

[torinsmom]

I would check constantly the rates for roomettes. I had always been told that AMTRAK worked on a bucket system..rates were lowest when they first came out and then went up as seats sold. I was online a couple months ago checking on a new trip, then just thought I'd check for pricing on an already booked one. The roomette prices had dropped..so odd. So I called AMTRAK and they adjusted my trip and $250 dollars appeared as a credit on my CC. So..keep checking. Usually, on my long distance route from Alb to Fullerton, a roomette will add either $100 or $156 to my total one way cost, but this price does include meals. Since the roomette is based on the room, not how many people are staying in it, getting dining room meals makes it halfway decent. Really though, for me, even though I don't mind coach (yes you meet some odd ones but also some really interesting people) I really am happy to pay the premium for a roomette since I just love my little cubicle and the peace and quiet.

It's nice that it includes meals, but since the train from NC to Orlando is a night train, we'd only get breakfast out of it.

I have travelled out of both and prefer Cary. It's in a decent area and we haven't had an issue there, where in Raleigh we had some dings and I felt lucky we had windows when we got back!

However, Cary is an unmanned station. So no checking bags. You are allowed 2 carryon plus 1 laptop/purse per person. That ends up being more than enough for us, as my kids can pack all of their stuff in their backpacks, so we pack our "overflow" in their extra bags. Being an unmanned station, just be sure that you are following the Amtrak guidelines for carryon and that you are comfortable getting on and off with your bags.

Also, we use a service called "First Choice" to come get us at the station. Are you renting a car? Staying on-site? I don't think the Orlando station has car rental but I think that Kissimee does?

OH! And I never pay full price. You can go to visitorlando.com and print off an Orlando Magic Card. Go to your local train station with your card and get 15% off! Or use your AAA card online for 10% off. Or check EBAY for Amtrak companion vouchers. Sometimes you can get them fairly cheap. I've bought companion passes for $10 and saved $90!

We are renting a car and staying offsite(first at the Holiday Inn Universal and then at a rental home in Indian Creek) I will probably rent from Enterprise, as they will come pick you up. If I can get a really good price through Priceline, I might do that instead and take a cab to the rental place.

I'll check on the discount stuff. Thanks for the tips!

So, there is NOONE at the Cary station? How does that work? Are there a lot of people waiting for the train there usually?

 

[MrsPete]

Also, we use a service called "First Choice" to come get us at the station. Are you renting a car? Staying on-site? I don't think the Orlando station has car rental but I think that Kissimee does?

OH! And I never pay full price. You can go to visitorlando.com and print off an Orlando Magic Card. Go to your local train station with your card and get 15% off! Or use your AAA card online for 10% off. Or check EBAY for Amtrak companion vouchers. Sometimes you can get them fairly cheap. I've bought companion passes for $10 and saved $90!

Also, kids under 16 are HALF PRICE EVERY DAY . You literally can't drive for what it'll cost a kid to ride the train.

 

[MrsPete]

Agree for the most part. We eat dinner on the trip back every time, as we board at 730. The dining room food has always been pretty decent. The snack car is another story!

My experience is only with the snack car.

 

[MrsPete]

It's nice that it includes meals, but since the train from NC to Orlando is a night train, we'd only get breakfast out of it.

Timing from NC is difficult: If you're going North, the train is great. If you're going South, you have to travel at night.

Last summer we considered taking the train to Miami (to meet a cruise), but we didn't because we'd have traveled all night. The price was GREAT -- we ended up spending much more to drive -- but with four teenaged girls, my husband and I would've had to take turns staying awake all night and would've arrived ill-rested and grumpy. If it'd been just the two of us, we'd have locked our luggage to the upper rail (with wallets locked inside) and would've slept.

 

[torinsmom]

Also, kids under 16 are HALF PRICE EVERY DAY . You literally can't drive for what it'll cost a kid to ride the train.

DS is 16, so I can't get that discount I'll check out the Orlando Magicard though to save 15%. Now to save on car rental. Why is a week $190, but 9 days is over $300???